The NHS reported a surge in bookings (Image: Getty)
Bookings for flu and Covid jabs leapt by 124% overnight after the sounded the alarm over a hitting hospitals.
Health chiefs warned yesterday that the number of people in hospital with was at a record level for this time of year and had increased by 70% week-on-week.
Some 21,144 people scrambled to get an appointment for a free NHS jab on Thursday, up from 9,452 on Wednesday.
NHS national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said: “We’re pleased to have seen bookings for flu and -19 jabs surge by 124% following worrying figures published yesterday about a tidal wave of seasonal viruses affecting hospitals.
“The NHS has plans in place to manage additional demand over the busy winter period but a sharp increase in flu and -19 patients needing hospital care will cause significant challenges.
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“Thousands of extra people came forward yesterday for their winter jabs to help them stay healthy, but we still need thousands more to do the same.
“With less than a week left to book your , I’d urge anyone eligible who hasn’t made an appointment to get one booked or risk having to spend the festive season in bed – or, worse still, in a hospital bed.”
The warning came as the NHS is facing a “quad-demic” – the combined impact of flu, , norovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Flu and jab bookings made through the NHS App, or the NHS’s national call centre reached their highest daily total of the month on Thursday, with an average of one booking every four seconds.
NHS patients can also book directly with their local GP practice so the actual number of appointments made on Thursday is likely to be significantly higher.
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The national booking service will close at the end of the day on Thursday 19 December.
It will still be possible to book after that date through local NHS vaccination services, like pharmacies or walk-in sites, but there will be fewer -19 appointments, and patients may need to travel further.
The UK flu season usually peaks in December and January. An average of 1,861 patients with flu were in hospital every day last week – up from 1,099 in the previous week and three and a half times higher than the same time last year.
The NHS is also rolling out a vaccine for RSV for the first time in history, targeting pregnant women and people aged 75-79.